Thursday, July 24, 2008

Albright-Knox Art Gallery Acquires Curator & Collection in a Week

Some people only know about Buffalo because of the media and comedic hype about the weather and the all too famous snowstorms. Others know about Buffalo because there live the inventors of the savory and tasty Buffalo wings, or as others around the country may call them chicken wings. Yet still others know about Buffalo because of Scott Norwood’s wide right kick and subsequently four straight Super Bowl losses by the Bills. However, last week, Buffalo was in the national news twice and both times it was because of one the great institutions of the majestic city on the Lake Erie, otherwise known as the Queen City. That great institution is none other than The Albright-Knox Art Gallery.

For those who don’t know, The Albright-Knox Art Gallery has the most “modern important collection of modern and contemporary art outside of the Museum of Modern Art,” according to Charles Banta, president of the gallery board. The building, which was started in 1890 by John J. Albright and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is impressive on its own, but the collections donated by philanthropists A. Conger Goodyear, Seymour Knox and now Count Giuseppe Panza di Biumo make it one of the most impressive galleries in the world with one of the most impressive collections of modern and contemporary art in the world.

Reportedly, Panza came to Buffalo last fall under the pretense of supervising the installation and display of his private collection of modern art at the Museum. The exhibit of his artwork, which is both large and impressive, was to have been from November to this past February. This past week his true intentions became known when 71 paintings, installations and sculptures became a partial gift to the museum. This exhibition spans a 40 year period leading up to the 1960’s and meshes well with the museums primary holdings which include much post 1960 modern abstract art. The worth of the partial Panza collection is valued at more than $3 million.

In the second piece of good news coming from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Heather Pesanti was hired as assistant curator of contemporary art. Ms. Pesanti has a lengthy resume and was most recently with the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh and before that was with the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art. According to reports, she will be focusing her skills and abilities on the museum’s collection of modern and contemporary art, which means she will probably be working closely with the Panza collection that was just acquired.